


Diamonds in the Rough

by thegoddessinzerogravity



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Female Bonding, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-02 02:33:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20971865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegoddessinzerogravity/pseuds/thegoddessinzerogravity
Summary: 1. This has been sitting in my drafts for close to a year, and it had the placeholder title of "Space Claire's"2. I feel obligated to warn you to not try to piece your ears with an ice cube and a needle.





	Diamonds in the Rough

The satisfaction of a job well-done never felt better than when Hera could finally buy the much-needed mechanical parts for the Ghost. 

They were in a large, open-air style market, that sold everything seemingly every item in the galaxy. Her entire crew had entered the market (minus Chopper, who had been assigned the task of guarding the ship), and within minutes she had lost track of all of them. She didn’t particularly care, though. Their last job had paid well, and everyone had split to spend their individual cuts.

The only one she hadn’t lost sight of was Sabine. She could still see her, standing on the other side of the isle containing the tools that Hera needed. It had been several months since they’d taken her on, but Sabine was still reticent and wary towards them. Hera had been hoping that the recent string of good luck on their missions would loosen her up a bit. 

She seemed to be perusing a shelf stocked full of paints, and Hera walked around the isle to meet her. 

“Find anything you like?”

Sabine glanced at her, and shrugged. “I like this paint set. But it’s really expensive.”

Hera reached out to examine the price tag, and whistled. “Is it worth it?”

“Yeah, it’s got a better chemical base than the ones I use now. But I’m gonna wait until I get another cut from a job to buy it.”

When Sabine finished talking, a sign advertising inexpensive lug nuts caught Hera’s eyes. She turned to look and took a few steps towards the sign to examine the prices closer. 

When she looked back, Sabine had wandered away from the previous isle and was now out of sight. She walked to the edge of the street and glanced around curiously, searching for a familiar bright flash of color.

Sure enough, after only a few seconds of searching, she located the neon green of Sabine’s dyed hair. She started to walk over, and slowed down when she got a better look at the scene. It was some kind of jewelry kiosk, with a middle-aged human woman on a large chair in the middle of it. Sabine was staring longingly at the display panel filled with tiny, multicolored gems.

“Hey there.”

She jumped and turned around, looking almost guilty that she’d been caught eyeing the jewelry. Hera tried giving her a bright smile. “Are you ready to go? Got everything you want?”

She nodded quickly and moved past her, away from the kiosk and back into the street. Hera went to follow her, but paused as the display caught her gaze. She waved to catch the owner’s attention.

“What is it you sell here, exactly?” The woman smiled. “I don’t know how well this would work on you, dear. I do ear piercings.”

An idea popped into her head. “How much does a piercing cost?”

She told her the price. Hera bit the inside of her cheek, the idea quickly taking root in her mind. “I’ll be right back, ma’am.”

She turned and walked back into the bustle of the street, again sweeping her gaze to check for Sabine’s distinctive profile. After a second, she caught sight of her, and hurried across the street to catch up to her. 

“Hey, Sabine! Come here a second.” Sabine turned and raised an eyebrow. 

“What for?”

“I have a present for you.”

“A present?

“Yes, just come here.” Hera thought she’d rebuff her, but Sabine just sighed and walked back towards her. Hera directed them back towards where they’d come, nudging her to a halt outside the older woman’s tiny shop, and then paused to watch her reaction. Sabine just frowned. 

“What is it?”

“It’s for you! You can get whichever pair you want.”

“But I’m saving up . . .” Hera nudged her again. “It’s a present, kid. I’m buying it for you.”

The woman in the chair had been watching the whole exchange, and after Hera finished speaking she got off the large chair in the center, and indicated for Sabine to take her place. Sabine hesitated for a second, and then walked over to the chair and sat down. 

The owner picked up a sheet of paper with a list of colors and designs on it, and handed it to Sabine. “If this is your first piercing, you may want to start with something small and simple, to reduce the risk of infection.”

Hera carefully leaned forward to see the sheet for herself. Sabine ran her finger down the list, and stopped at one in the middle. It was a small, deep purple crystal, shaped like a circle. Sabine tapped the sheet with her fingernail. “I like this one.”

The owner took the paper from her and turned to the clear shelf beside her, opening the door that held all the pieces of jewelry. Sabine rubbed her hands together, and Hera spotted a small, excited smile growing across her face. 

“Here we are.” The owner laid the earrings Sabine had chosen on the counter, and retrieved a small tool that resembled a blaster. “This is the piercing gun. It shouldn’t hurt at all, the needle is tiny. Barely feels like a prick.”

“I’m not worried.”

“Good.” The woman reached under the the counter and pulled out a small, white piece of cloth. “This is an antibacterial, I’m just gonna use it to clean up the site real fast-” She carefully leaned towards Sabine and took a hold of her ear. Sabine tensed as she touched her, and Hera was afraid for a moment that she would shove the woman away or snap at her. But she relaxed after a moment, and the owner smoothed her earlobe with the cloth. 

She turned back to grab her tool again, and readied it against her ear. “On three, okay? One, two, and . . . three.” She pressed the trigger, and Sabine twitched. “See? Not too bad, huh?” Sabine shook her head, and the older woman moved around the chair to the other ear. 

When she’d finished, the owner started instructing her on how to care for the modification. Hera handed her the credits, and Sabine hopped off the chair and returned to Hera’s side. She was running her finger over her new studs.

“Y’know,” Hera said as they started walking back to the Ghost, “Kanan used to have a piercing too. In his right ear, a gold hoop.”

“What happened to it?”

“He told me it got lost during a job and he just never found time to replace it.”

Sabine reached up to touch her new earrings again. “You think he’ll be jealous?”

Hera snorted. “Oh, definitely.”

“I once tried to piece my ears before, when I was like eleven or twelve. I used a needle and an ice cube.”

Hera winced. “Sounds painful.”

“It was. And it didn’t even work.”

“Well, now you have a real set. No ice and needles needed.”

Sabine ran her fingers down her new earrings again, and shot Hera a genuine smile. “Thank you for this.”

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. This has been sitting in my drafts for close to a year, and it had the placeholder title of "Space Claire's"  
2\. I feel obligated to warn you to not try to piece your ears with an ice cube and a needle.


End file.
